The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to an angled syringe and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a sterile and/or preloaded syringe with an angled tip.
Injections using a standard syringe involve holding a syringe perpendicularly to the skin, inserting a needle through the skin and pushing a plunger. The material to be injected sometimes requires to be inserted into the blood supply and sometimes the material is simply inserted under the skin. The amount of material that can be inserted into the blood supply on finding a suitable blood vessel is larger than the amount that can be inserted under the skin since, without entering the blood circulation, the material injected subcutaneously tends to pool at a single location and causes that location to swell up before any dispersal is able to occur.
Thus, in some cases, it is advantageous to carry out the injection more slowly, say over a time period of ten seconds to three minutes or longer. However, holding a syringe in the same position for over a minute is not easy, and movement may be irritating to the patient. Thus, it has been proposed to provide a means for injecting material into the body that rests on the skin as the injection is carried out.
Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,500,150, 6,824,529, and 6,843,782, which disclose a drug delivery device having a base member defining a skin-contacting surface, a syringe serving as a reservoir for the drug, and means for expelling drug from the syringe. The syringe is connected to the base member such that the longitudinal axis of the syringe is substantially parallel to the skin surface. A delivery needle is in communication with the syringe. The needle has an angled bend, which directs the tip of the needle substantially perpendicular to the skin-contacting surface. In use, the tip of the needle is adapted to penetrate the skin of the subject.
For such relatively slow release, an automatic expulsion device has also been suggested. U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,001 discloses a liquid drug delivery device adhered to the skin of a subject by a base member defining a skin-contacting surface having an adhesive coating. A columnar cartridge serves as reservoir for the drug and is incorporated in a housing, which is connected to the base member such that in use the longitudinal axis of the cartridge is disposed substantially parallel to the skin-contacting surface. A delivery needle communicating in use with the interior of the cartridge penetrates the skin of the subject when the housing snaps downward relative to the base member. This action also causes the actuation of a citric acid/sodium bicarbonate gas generator, which generates a gas to move a piston within the cartridge, compressing the drug compartment. This compression causes a stopper to be penetrated by a conduit in communication with the delivery needle, allowing the drug to be ejected from the compartment through the needle and into the subcutaneous tissue of the subject.
If using an injector device then the syringe cartridge may be preloaded and needs to be kept sterile during the process of locating it in the injector. U.S. Patent Publication No. 20140163526 discloses an automated injection device, which may be loaded with a standard type syringe and/or hypodermic needle. Optionally the syringe may be preloaded. The syringe may be loaded into the injector in a sterile state with needle cover in place. The injector includes a fastener, such as an adhesive base. The fastener may assist a user to hold the injector steady on the skin of a patient for an extended period. For example, the injector may be used to give injections of volume ranging between 0.5 and 3.0 ml over a time period ranging between 30 seconds and 10 minutes.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,125,887 relates to providing “a syringe needle with a bendable guard or shield that permits of a needle being safely bent to a desired angle or inclination, without danger of the needle being injured, cracked, or the walls thereof collapsed by the pliers or instrument employed for bending the needle.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,603,028 relates to a “handheld injection device includes a first housing having a first axis and a second housing having a second axis. In one embodiment, the second housing is configured to support a needle. In one embodiment, the first axis and a second axis form an adjustable angle between about 180 degrees and about 90 degrees.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,496,862 relates that, “A collet mechanism that holds a cannula during molding of a syringe includes first and second arms that form an internal cavity. Each arm has a proximal end and a distal end. The first and second arms are in a closed position when the distal ends are moved toward the internal cavity and are in an open position when the distal ends are positioned away from the internal cavity. First and second cannula guides respectively are mounted proximate the distal ends of the first and second arms and extend into the internal cavity. The first and second cannula guides clamp a portion of the cannula to hold the cannula when the first and second arms are in the closed position.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,721,603 relates that, “A prefilled syringe for injecting medicament into a patient includes a barrel constructed of a polymeric material, a cannula and a hub. The barrel has a diameter, a longitudinal axis, a proximal end and a distal end. The cannula has a proximal end and a tip opposite the proximal end. The proximal end of the cannula is fixed to the distal end of the barrel. The cannula is positioned generally coaxially with the longitudinal axis. The hub is integrally formed with the distal end. The hub includes a rib section and a cap. The rib section has a generally cruciform cross-section taken along a rib plane. The rib plane is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The cap has a generally U-shaped cross-section taken along a longitudinal plane. The longitudinal plane is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis.”
Additional background art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,292. U.S. Patent Publication No. 20130253434, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/093,792, U.S. Pat. No. 7,967,795.
The existing art suffers from a number of drawbacks, including being difficult to manufacture, or difficult to pre-fill and then keep sterile when fitting in the injector. Furthermore, the fluid path may be made up of a long length of unprotected needle, which is hard to keep sterile for any length of time, especially if the needle has a bend in it.